Authoritarianism in the middle east: Before and after the Arab uprisings

Abstract

Why are some Middle Eastern countries resistant to democratization and what are the reasons for the instability of authoritarian regimes in this part of the world? Authoritarianism in the Middle East evaluates and analyses ongoing instabilities and authoritarian tendencies in the Middle East region before and after the Arab uprisings. This study fills an important gap in the literature as existing attempts to understand authoritarianism in the Middle East often excluded in non-Arab experiences. Through a unique collection of essays, drawn from rich case studies from Turkey to Egypt, this new book provides important insights into the instabilities and the dramatic political and social transformations in the Middle East. With its timely focus on the rapid and unexpected events of the Arab uprisings, it presents readers with a deeper understanding of the roots of authoritarianism. Since the beginning of the uprisings, called the 'Arab Spring' by Western sources, the people of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have overthrown their governments. Other countries, such as Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, responded violently to domestic uprisings. Syria did not remain unaffected by these events and the wave of unrest reached Syria in March 2011. Within this framework, this study explores the authoritarianism in the Middle East through violence, gender and minority issues by breaking through the narrow lens of the literature on authoritarianism in the Middle East.